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I have a Samsung LN40A550P3FXZA that has become dark in picture.

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I have a Samsung LN40A550P3FXZA that has become dark in picture. For the most part it is always dark, but sometimes when I power on the TV, the picture is normal, then reverts to a darker picture within minutes. This goes for all inputs (Xbox, Blu-ray, Cable box all through HDMI). I am trying to determine which part would be needed to be replaced if any, and is this worth servicing as this is a model from 2008?

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Nathan :

Hi there, sorry to hear you're having trouble with the samsung,

Nathan :

there are several possible causes of this issue, which could be insufficient output from the power supply board, a failing inverter (which powers the backlight), or even a bad panel.

Nathan :

In general, for a set of this size and age, it wouldn't be worth fixing, if you have a local shop do the repairs, you'd typically be in the $300+ range, and as a rule of thumb for sets 42" or smaller, or more than 4 years old, repairs aren't practical.

Nathan :

If you wanted to try fixing it yourself, you could expect to be in the sub $100 range to buy a new inverter board for example.

Nathan :

Before doing anything however, I would suggest you call Samsung at 1-800-726-7864 because this particular model (depending on the purchase date) was covered by a class action lawsuit that stemmed from faulty capacitors in many tvs they made. So if you have a chance of getting repairs covered through them, that is your best bet.

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